Drive Shaft Vibrations Solved Step-by-Step

Do you just deal with it? Does it make you nuts?

 

I am not a savvy, I could not fix my own driveline problems yet....but it looks like when you have issues with angles, it does not disappear and comes back...but a bad bearing... yes it does at the beginning of it last miles of spinning. If I were you I would grease the hell out of the u joints as same as the slip yoke (be careful there, you don't want to blow its seal). with grease you could feel some improvement and pinpoint the faulty joint

 

Yah, thanks I just got my entire driveline disassembled, professional greased and inspected. Vibes still there...i think my angles are off since i have the carrier bearing spacer. Appreciate the thought though

 

Yeah, I manually shift it in traffic to keep in out of that rpm.

 

I know this is a REALLY old post but @TscotR214 it is incredibly informative. I have read through the majority of posts on here, and it can be confusing at times. After all the measurements and filling out my pdfs and simple math calculations, I still have one question- my two driveshaft angles looked like this before my 6.5" lift...





A nice straight line before...
Now they look like this-



After everything I've read, will dropping the carrier bearing more solve my 0-15mph driveshaft wobble? My pinion/ rear axle is already "tilted" so far forward that I don't think I could use axle shims. I'm stumped at this point...

 

Easiest way to solve driveshaft vibes = new driveshaft with a double cardon joint.....

 

I have a 2 inch lift front and back and had vibes from 20 mph and down decelerating. I solved my driveline vibes today by installing a 3 degree axle shim from HS. I did not lower my CB. My CB u joint operating angle is now 2.1 degrees and my rear pinion u joint operating angle is 2.7 degrees. My front transfer case u joint operating angle is 2.7 degrees. Thanks to everyone who has posted. Buying the digital angle finder is the key to knowing what size shim you need.

 

Hello all. Excuse the ignorance of not reading every post in the thread. I followed the OP and got all 3 measurements. I am still not clear on how to calculate which degree of shim I need to fix my vibes.

What is the formula for calculating this?

TIA.

 

Please post your operating angles of your 3 u joints.
I ignored my transfer case u joint. I did not lower my carrier bearing.
Now take the Carrier bearing u joint angle and the rear pinion u joint angle and subtract the smaller number from the larger one. The difference in the 2 is the shim size you need.
You are raising the front of the pinion.
How much lift in the rear do you have over stock?

 

Please measure and post both your carrier bearing u joint operating angle and your rear pinion u joint operating angle. I believe a shim will work.

 

From the OP:

b. Measure your first driveshaft angle by placing the gauge underneath the first driveshaft, keeping clear of any mud, stickers, etc. My gauge is magnetic so I flipped it over and hung it upside down. I messed with it a bit to get it perfectly in line with the driveshaft and perfectly underneath (by perfectly I mean I randomly wiggled it around until it came up with the most consistent number). This is your first measurement of three, write it down somewhere, and represents the angle of the first shaft as it comes out of your transfer case. (photo #4) 6.70

c. Take your next measurement underneath the rear (second half) of your driveshaft, after the carrier bearing. I took mine next to the rear differential, again keeping clear of stickers, weights, etc, and wiggling it until I had a consistent reading. This is your second of three measurements, write it down, and represents the angle of your rear half driveshaft as it relates again to the transfer case. (photo #5) 7.50

d. For the third and final measurement, you’ll need to re-calibrate your angle gauge. On mine, I left the gauge where it was, hanging by its magnets under the rear driveshaft, and pressed and released the Calibrate button a few times until the gauge, when hanging under the rear driveshaft, read zero. (photo #6) Then locate the nice flat area up against your rear axle housing, next to the rear differential case. Make sure it’s fairly free of mud etc. (photo #7) Then place your gauge (after zero-ing it out on the rear driveshaft) up against this flat part of your rear axle. I found a nice spot just above the molded line (in red) and next to the diff housing bolts (tip of arrow). This is your third and final measurement, write it down also, and represents the angle at which your rear driveshaft comes out of your rear differential. (photo #8) 0.2

To keep the numbers and measurements consistent, I used the measurements from the same locations the OP used.

The rear is about 3.5" - 3.75" over stock. The vibes I have are between 55-60 mph. Very minimal too. Before that and after that, there are ZERO vibes at all.

 

Your CB operating angle is .8* and your rear pinion operating angle is .2*.
Based on the math .8 - .2 = .6
You need a .5 degree shim.
I don't know if they make that size.
I wouldn't think you would have a vibe with only .6*.
How many miles on the truck?
May need to replace u joints or CB. Things do wear out in time.

 

I just checked HS website and the smallest shim they sell is 2*.
You may want to try lowering the CB down.
Try flat washers to get you down the .5 degree.

 

29k on the rig.

 

I already have the OME CB drop kit installed.

 

Well I don't think your parts are worn out.
I can tell you that the CB drop from OME did nothing for me. I bought it, tried it, and it did nothing to get rid of my vibrations. So I removed it. Then I measured my operating angles and determined I needed a 3 degree shim. Ordered it fro HS, installed it, the vibes are gone now.
I believe part of the problem using the CB drop kit is that its increasing the operating angle of the transfer case u joint. That may be where your getting a vibe from.

 

I followed this thread to a 'T'. Take off shudder from ~5mph to ~14mph. No vibes @ any other time & appears to be no slop in the driveline. 83K miles. ~2,5" lift w/Dakar full rear pack.
I installed OME center diff. drop BEFORE I took my measurements (I didn't know any better).
Measured all the angles & they indicated I needed 3° shims.
Installed them & the vibration was the exact same.
Removed the center drop & the vibes are the exact same.

WTF am I doing wrong?

 

Did you remeasure your operating angles after you removed th CB drop?
It will change the angles.

 

I didn't check angles after removing the CB drop. I assumed vibes with CB drop then vibes with CB drop AND 3* shims that if I removed the CB drop I'd be vibe free. Nope.

 

Do yourself a favor and remeasure your operating angles. Please post your results. It's the best way for us to know for sure what you have going on under there.